Oscillating motion circular knitting machine



June 20, 1961 s. MISHCON 2, 8, 5

OSCILLATING MOTION CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed June 25. 1959 a FIG. 3

INVENTOR.

Samuel Mishcon ATTORNEY l yu AM United States Patent 2,988,905 OSCILLATING MOTION CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Samuel Mishcon, Rockaway Park, N.Y., assignor to Supreme Knitting Machine Co., Inc., Ozone Park, N.Y., a corporation Filed June 25, 1959, Ser. No. 822,856 7 Claims. (Cl. 66-19) This invention relates to knitting on circular knitting machines and, more particularly, to means for and a method of simultaneously knitting a plurality of essentially independent and circumferentially spaced relatively narrow strips of fabric on a circular knitting machine.

A conventional circular knitting machine comprises a longitudinally slotted needle cylinder, a radially slotted dial, cylinder needles slidable in the cylinder slots, dial elements, such as dial needles, slidable in the dial slots, and sets of cams coacting with the cyinder needles and the dial elements to produce a predetermined coaction of the cylinder needles and dial elements. In the usual case, the sets of cams are stationary relative to the base of the machine while the cylinder and dial are rotated in synchronism, but sometimes the cams are revolved and the cylinder and dial are relatively stationary.

Usually, there are several knitting positions around the periphery of the machine, each having a set ofcams, so that the knitting sequence is repeated several times during one revolution of the rotating parts. Yarn feeds may be provided at each station and, if desired, the knit-ting sequence can be varied from station to station.

In accordance with the present invention, several sets of identical cam combinations are provided at circumferentially spaced locations around the periphery of the machine, each set including a set of cylinder cams and a set of dial cams fixed relatively to each other. The cylinder needles and the dial elements are arranged in circumferentially spaced groups separated by non-knitting areas having an arcuate extent of the order of or slightly greater than that of the respective sets of cams.

The sets of cams and the groups of needles are oscillated relative to each other through an are equal to the sum of the arcuate extent of one group of needles and the arcuate extent of one set of cams. As the sets of cams have identical cam tracks in either direction, this oscillation produces a number of relatively narrow strips of fabric equal to the number of needle groups and each having a width equal to the arcuate extent of a needle group.

Preferably, the cylinder and dial are stationary relative to the machine base and the cam sets are oscillated as a unit, but the reverse arrangement may be used. The support for each set of dial cams is rigidly connected by a bracket or the like to the support or mounting block for the associated set of cylinder cams. The oscillation may be effected by a crank, a cam and cam follower, or by driving motor reversal, as desired.

The fabric strips produced are characterized by three selvedge edges, two selvedge edges running lengthwise of each strip and a selvedge edge along the bottom of each strip. The strips are readily usable as trim strips. As known to the art, selvedge bottoms, usually called French welt bottoms or starts, are produced by a normal separat ing thread which is manually pulled out to separate the end of one strip from the beginning of the next strip.

For an understanding of the invention principles, reference is made to the following description of a typical embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawing. In the drawing: a

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the dial and cylinder of a circular knitting machine embodying the invention;

Patented June 20, 1961 FIG. 2 is a partial developed elevation view of the cylinder; and

FIG. 3 is a radial sectional view through the cylinder and dial adjacent a cam set.

Referring to the drawings, a circular knitting machine embodying the invention is illustrated as including a cylinder 10 and a dial 20. Cylinder 10 has a downwardly and inwardly sloping upper edge 11, and its outer surface is former with parallel, longitudinally extending and uniformly spaced slots 12 slidably receiving latch type cylin der needles 15 having butts 16. Needles 15 are held in position by a ring or band 17 set into a circumferential groove 13 in the outer surface of cylinder 10.

Dial 20 has an inwardly and downwardly sloping outer periphery 21 and its upper surface is formed with radial, uniformly spaced slots 22 slidably receiving dial elements shown, by way of example only, as latch type needles 25 having butts 26.

Cylinder needles "15 are raised and lowered in slots 12 by sets of cams each mounted on a cam support block 30 fixed to an annular gear (FIG. 3). Referring to FIG. 3, outwardly offset U-shaped brackets 36 are secured at one end to blocks 30 and have dial cam support blocks secured to their opposite ends, brackets 36 extending generally radially of the machine. Each bracket 36 is apertured, as at 37, for feeding of yarn 38 to the cylinder needles and dial elements. Gear 35 meshes with a bevel gear (not shown) connected to any suitable mechanism for oscillating gear 35 through a pre-set arc. Such mechanism may include an eccentric, a crank, or a cam and cam follower for changing rotary motion into oscillatory motion.

The cam support blocks 30 and 40, interconnected by brackets 36, are uniformly angularly spaced around the circumference of the machine. In the specific example shown in FIG. 1, there are five sets of cams having a center-to-center arcuate spacing of 72 degrees.

Each block 30 has mounted on its inner surface a pair of stitch earns 31, '31, which are mirror copies of each other, and a rise cam 32 which is essentially an isosceles triangle. correspondingly, each dial cam support block 40 has mounted on its under surface a pair of earns 41, 41', which are mirror copies of each other, and an extending cam 42 which is essentially an isosceles triangle. Cams 31, 31 and 32 cooperatively form a cam track 33 for the butts 16 of needles 15, this track having identical efiects on the needle movements in both directions of relative movement of the cams. Dial cams 41, 41' and 42 similarly cooperate to form a cam track 43 for butts 26 of needle 25, and again the dial element action is the same in each direction of relative oscillation of the cams.

The cylinder needles are arranged in uniformly circumferentially spaced groups equal in number to the number of sets of cams. The arcuate extent of each group is equal to the desired width of the fabric strip to be knit. Thus, in the example shown, each group of cylinder needles 15 has an arcuate extent indicated by the arc A. The dial needles 25 are also arranged in circumferentially spaced groups each corresponding to and aligned with a cylinder needle group. In the example shown, each dial element group extends over an angle A which subtends the are A.

Between each group of cylinder needles 15, there is a rest area indicated by the arc B and having an arcuate extent somewhat longer than that of cam track 33.

Also, between each group of dial needles 25, there is a.

rest area are B.

In the operation of the apparatus, the gear 35 is oscillated through an are such that, in each oscillation, a set of cams is moved from a position centered on a first rest area to a position centered on the next adjacent indicated by the angle B subtending the rest area, and then returned to its initial position centered on the first rest area. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, and assuming that the initial direction of an oscillation is clockwise, the cylinder and dial cam sets at the 6 oclock position of FIG. 1 are revolved clockwise through an arc of 72 degrees in the S-cam-set embodiment illustrated. Of course, the other four sets of dial and cylinder cams are moved 72 degrees counterclockwise at the same time.

Referring to FIG. 2, in this initial movement, the butts 16 of cylinder needles 15, moving along track 33, are lifted upwardly by earns 32 to elevate needles to the latch clearing and yarn receiving position to receive yarn 38 in their hooks as butts 16 reach the apices of cams 32. At the same time, and with reference to FIG. 1, the butts 26 of dial needles 25, moving along track 43, are moved radially outwardly by earns 42 to project needles The cylinder needles are then drawn down to the stitch position by cams 31 as the dial needles are retracted by earns 41. The cam sets then move into the adjacent rest areas to positions substantially centered therein and, after a slight interval are moved counterclockwise to their initial position.

As the cams move counterclockwise, earns 32 raise needles 15 to the yarn receiving position and earns 42 advance needles 25. Then needles 15 are drawn down to the stitch position by earns 31' as dial needles 25 are retracted by earns 41'. The cam sets move to the center of the initial rest or non-knitting area and the cycle is repeated.

Thus, the method of the invention comprises arranged groups of cylinder and dial needles in spaced relation around the machine, with the knitting area occupied by the needles being separated by non-knitting or rest areas, and afiecting relative oscillation of the cams and the cylinder and dial, with the arc of oscillation being equal to the arcuate center-to-center spacing of the nonknitting areas and the cam sets being aligned alternately with each of two circumferentially adjacent non-knitting areas at the limits of the relative oscillatory movement.

The strip fabric produced is characterized by selvedge edges along both sides and the bottom or leading end. The bottom selvedge edge is made by conventional welting methods, known to the art, and separating one strip from the next strip.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for simultaneously knitting plural relatively narrow strips of fabric with selvedge edges along both longitudinal sides and the leading end of each strip comprising, in combination, a circular knitting machine including a slotted needle cylinder and a slotted dial fixed against rotation relative to each other; an annular cam supporting member concentric with said cylinder and dial; cylinder needles arranged in circumferentially spaced groups around said cylinder, each group having an arcuate extent corresponding to the desired width of the strips and separated from adjacent groups by non-knitting areas of uniform arcuate extent; dial elements arranged in angular spaced groups around said dial and each associated with a group of cylinder needles and extending over an angle substantially subtending the arc of the associated group of cylinder needles; plural cylinder cam mounting elements on said cam supporting member and corresponding in number to the groups of cylinder needles, said mounting elements being positioned at equal arcuate distances from each other; plural dial cam mounting elements each supported from a cylinder cam mounting element and overlying said dial; cylinder cams on each cylinder cam mounting element providing cam tracks engageable with the butts of the cylinder needles to move the cylinder needles through a pre-set stitch forming sequence irrespective of the relative direction of movement of the cylinder needle butts along said cam tracks; dial cams on the undersurface of each dial cam mounting element providing cam tracks engageable with the butts of the dial elements to move the dial elements through a pre-set sequence irrespective of the relative direction of movement of the dial element butts along said last-named cam tracks; and means mounting said cam supporting member and said cylinder for relative oscillation through an are equal to the center-to-center spacing of said non-knitting areas with the cylinder and dial cams centered alternately in adjacent non-knitting areas during each oscillation.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said dial elements are needles.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said cylinder and dial are stationary and said cam supporting member is oscillatable.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which each set of cylinder cams includes a stitch cam centered relative to a pair of rise cams.

5. Apparatus for simultaneously knitting plural relatively narrow strips of fabric with selvedge edges along both longitudinal sides and the leading end of each strip comprising, in combination, a circular knitting machine including a slotted needle cylinder and a slotted dial fixed against rotation relative to each other; an annular cam supporting member concentric with said cylinder and dial; cylinder needles arranged in circumferentially spaced groups around said cylinder, each group having an arcuate extent corresponding to the desired width of the strips and separated from adjacent groups by nonknitting areas of uniform arcuate extent; dial elements arranged in angular spaced groups around said dial and each associated with a group of cylinder needles and extending over an angle substantially subtending the arc of the associated group of cylinder needles; plural sets of cylinder cams on said member corresponding in number to the groups of cylinder needles, said sets being positioned at equal arcuate distances from each other and each providing a cam track engageable with the cylinder needle butts to move the cylinder needles through a preset stitch forming sequence irrespective to the relative direction of movement of the cylinder needle butts along said cam tracks; plural sets of cylinder cams on said member corresponding in number to the groups of cylinder needles, said sets being positioned at equal arcuate distances from each other and each providing a cam track engageable with the dial element butts to move the dial elements through a pre-set sequence irrespective of the relative direction of movement of the dial element butts along said last-named cam tracks; and means mounting said cam supporting member and said cylinder for relative oscillation through an are equal to the center-tocenter spacing of said non-knitting areas with the cylinder and dial cam sets centered alternatively in adjacent non-knitting areas during each oscillation.

6. A method of simultaneously knitting, on a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder and a needle dial, plural relatively narrow strips of fabric with selvedge edges along both longitudinal sides and the leading end of each strip: said method comprising the steps of positioning cylinder needles in circumferentially spaced groups around the cylinder, each. group having an arcuate extent corresponding to the desired width of the strips and separated from adjacent groups by non-knitting areas of uniform arcuate extent; positioning dial needles in angularly spaced groups around the dial and each associated with a group of cylinder needles and extending over an angle substantially subtending the are of the associated group of cylinder needles; positioning plural sets of cylinder cams in association with the cylinder needle butts, the sets of cylinder cams corresponding in number to the groups of cylinder needles, said sets being positioned at equal arcuate distances from each other and each providing a cam track engageable with the W at e 5 cylinder needle butts to move the cylinder needles through a pre-set stitch forming sequence irrespective of the relative direction of movement of the cylinder needle butts along said cam tracks; providing plural sets of dial cams in association with the dial needle butts, equal in number to the sets of cylinder cams, and each positioned over the dial in fixed radial alignment with a set of cylinder cams, each set of dial cams providing a cam track enga'geable with the dial needle butts to move the dial needles through a pre-set sequence irrespective of the relative direction of movement of the dial needle butts along said last-named cam tracks; and, while feeding yarn to the hooks of each of cylinder and dial needles, eifecting relative oscillation of the cylinder and dial, as one unit,

through an are equal to the center-to-center spacing of 7 and the sets of cylinder and dial cams, as a second unit, 15

said non-knitting areas with the cylinder and dial cam sets centered alternately in adjacent non-knitting areas during each oscillation.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 in which the cylinder and dial are held. stationary and the cam sets are oscillated as a unit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,235,726 Pass Mar. 18, 1941 2,705,408 Mehnert Apr. 5, 1955 2,821,073 Mehnert Ian. 28, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 35,057 Germany Apr. 2, 1886 

